Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "below standard".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is important for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea deal with broader problems in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is without a goal this term. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and players who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances
A midfielder and defender are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
